JOHANNESBURG--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 1, 2026--
Cartrack, a leading global software platform for operational excellence and subsidiary of Karooooo Limited (NASDAQ: KARO), has announced a strategic long-term partnership with the Maharishi Invincibility Institute to empower youth from marginalised communities through access to skills development and education, aimed at expanding employment opportunities and reducing the unemployment rate for youth in South Africa.
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Cartrack now employs more than 6 000 people in South Africa, drawing talent from communities across the country, and continues to grow its workforce as the business expands. This partnership strengthens Cartrack’s existing Cartrack Academy, and together, Cartrack and the Maharishi Invincibility Institute aim to deliver a holistic and integrated development journey for learners, supporting young people from foundational education through to workplace readiness and ultimately into meaningful, sustainable employment with Cartrack.
“Our focus is on building sustainable futures and creating real opportunities for unemployed youth from marginalised communities across South Africa,” says Joshua Victor, CEO of Cartrack South Africa. “By working closely with the Maharishi Invincibility Institute over the long term, we are able to broaden our impact by combining academic foundations with practical workplace experience. This creates a more complete pathway for young people, enabling them to move between learning and work in a structured and supportive way.”
“We are incredibly excited to partner with Cartrack, as this collaboration allows us to expand our shared vision of empowering unemployed young people through education and skills development,” says Dr Taddy Blecher, co-founder and CEO of the Maharishi Invincibility Institute. “With the Cartrack partnership, we are able to invest in our youth by providing them with access to real-world work experience alongside their academic journey. Partnerships like this are essential in creating sustainable pathways to employment, and we are proud to work together to unlock opportunities and build brighter futures for South Africa’s youth.”
The partnership builds on Cartrack’s ongoing commitment to youth development through its Cartrack Academy. Each year, approximately 500 young people are onboarded through the programme, where the successful students receive accredited SETA and QCTO qualifications alongside hands-on experience that prepares them for the demands of the workplace. These learners transition into permanent roles within Cartrack, reinforcing the programme’s effectiveness as a long-term talent pipeline.
Cartrack remains committed to creating inclusive employment opportunities and to providing meaningful career pathways for graduates of the Maharishi Invincibility Institute and participants in the Cartrack Academy programme.
About Cartrack
Cartrack digitally transforms physical operations by simplifying decision making. Through its cloud platform, Cartrack empowers businesses to conquer operations including fleet maintenance, fuel management and asset utilization, workforce management, logistics, safety, compliance, risk and environmental impact. Cartrack’s differentiated insights and analytics simplify day-to-day operations and enable businesses to decrease costs, increase efficiency, improve safety and strengthen workforce and customer satisfaction.
Cartrack is headquartered in Singapore and services more than 125,000 commercial customers and more than 2,700,000 active subscribers in more than 20 countries globally.
About Maharishi Invincibility Institute
The Maharishi Invincibility Institute (MII) is a non-profit organisation established to develop a new generation of leaders for South Africa. With business study campuses in Johannesburg and Durban and a 1,700 hectare conservation campus in Mpumalanga, the Institute has graduated 25,595 formerly unemployed youth, 70% of whom are women and 22,567 have been placed into quality jobs. The Maharishi Invincibility Institute focuses on the holistic development of students in terms of emotional development, theoretical knowledge and practical skills transfer. This approach makes MII's graduates highly marketable and provides the businesses that employ them with valuable intellectual property.
MII was chosen by Stanford University in 2025 as 1 of the 12 most innovative educational institutions in the world. MII has received an additional 37 national and international awards.
PARTNERS IN PURPOSE: A long-term partnership sealed with purpose, Cartrack SA CEO, Joshua Victor (left), and Maharishi Invincibility Institute Co-Founder and CEO, Dr Taddy Blecher, join forces to open doors and create opportunities for the next generation. Picture: SUPPLIED
PARIS (AP) — Tennis players at the French Open say they haven’t experienced conditions this hot at Roland Garros since the Paris Olympics.
And the 2024 Olympics were held in July and August.
Temperatures for the opening two days of the clay-court Grand Slam have soared to 33 degrees C (91 F) — far beyond normal for late May in the French capital. And it’s forecast to stay that way for the entire first week.
Besides making it uncomfortable for fans and players alike, the sultry conditions have also created faster conditions on court — changing the pace of the game.
“It is much different. Maybe it was that hot in the Olympics but the balls were different, so I wouldn’t treat it as the same tournament,” four-time French Open champion Iga Swiatek said after routing Emerson Jones 6-1, 6-2 in the first round on Monday.
Players have been putting bags of ice around their necks on changeovers to stay cool, while fans are refreshing themselves under sprinklers.
When workers water the clay courts between sets, they have taken to directing their hoses at spectators begging to be doused, too.
“I don’t remember the last time it was so hot at Roland Garros,” Russian-born Australian player Daria Kasatkina said after beating Zeynep Sonmez 6-4, 6-4. “Maybe one day. But we’re going to have it for the whole week.”
Kasatkina said the energy-sapping temperatures made for more up-and-down matches.
“You can suddenly just get out of the bench and feel that your focus dropped,” she said. “So this is a battle which you have to also win. … Whoever adapts better to today’s conditions gets it.”
Canadian player Gabriel Diallo said the heat was the main reason why he retired midway through his match against James Duckworth on Sunday.
Both Andrey Rublev and opponent Ignacio Buse called for the trainer on separate occasions during the second set of their match on Monday.
Buse took a medical timeout and had salts and minerals added to his water bottle as a stethoscope was placed on his chest. Rublev received treatment a few games later.
The French Open is usually cool compared to the heat at the Australian Open and U.S. Open.
But like in Australia and New York, the French Open has adopted an extreme weather policy.
If the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) — which takes into account temperature, humidity, sun, wind and other factors — reaches 30.1 degrees C (86 F) or higher, 10-minute cooling breaks can be installed between the second and third sets for women’s matches and between the third and fourth sets for men’s matches.
If the WBGT hits 32.2 C (90 F), play is suspended. It would require an air temperature of about 38 C (100 F) for play to be suspended.
Some players were embracing the hotter air.
“I’ve always preferred hot and lively conditions to chilly on a clay court, because I feel like I can bring a little bit more of my all-court tennis on this type of surface,” Australian player Alex de Minaur said after beating Toby Samuel 6-4, 6-4, 6-2.
“It’s easier to be a little bit more aggressive. The ball is jumping. I don’t necessarily have to use as much spin or heaviness, and I can let the conditions do the job for me. And it’s quite physical. I don’t mind the heat,” De Minaur added.
Same goes for American player Alex Michelsen, who eliminated Alexander Shevchenko in straight sets.
“It’s definitely good for us Americans,” Michelsen said. “Generally we’re big serve, big forehand, big ground game and like to play offense. When it’s super hot, the ball is moving through the air very fast. … I was so happy when I saw the forecast.”
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
A stadium worker sprays the court with water before the first round men's singles tennis match at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
Visitors cool themselves with water from sprinklers during a hot day at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
A woman cools herself with a portable fan during the first round men's singles tennis match between Alex De Minaur of Australia and Toby Samuel of Britain at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
Spectators cool themselves with hand fans during the first round women's singles tennis match between Elina Svitolina of Ukraine and Anna Bondar of Hungary at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
Poland's Iga Swiatek gestures for a ballboy as he shields her from the sun during a break at the first round women's singles tennis match against Emerson Jones of Australia at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Visitors cool themselves with water from sprinklers during a hot day at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
Alex De Minaur of Australia attends a break during the first round men's singles tennis match against Toby Samuel of Britain at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
